Tuna Fishing the Regulator 23

September 15, 2017



Seas always look smaller in photographs. This particular cool October day, it was true 4-5’ foot seas, and they were stacked together tight on Stellwagen Bank’s south east corner. The tuna bite had been hot, so after carefully analyzing the weather and making sure it was safe, my crew and I went for it.


After setting up our live-lined mackerel we began to watch a flock of a few hundred birds in the distance work above a feeding school of tuna. We were also watching the seas build a bit higher and steeper than the forecasts had predicted. When the birds reached our bait, I nervously anticipated a strike. I will never forget this: standing in the cockpit watching the balloon marking our bait’s position, it came into sight on the backside of a wave and then violently disappeared beneath the surface. The reel came alive and line began to peel off as we organized the boat and settled in for the fight.


By maneuvering the 23 through the sloppy seas and around a tuna that was determined to part ways with us, the crew and I were able to successfully boat this fish. We prepped the fish, put it on ice, stowed the gear, and set our heading back to the dock. This day is typical of how I fish my Regulator. I take pride in being the smallest boat in the fleet on these particularly sporty days fishing offshore.